


Throwing Away The Baggage

by Hekate1308



Series: Baggage [3]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-26
Updated: 2017-09-26
Packaged: 2019-01-05 15:26:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12192570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hekate1308/pseuds/Hekate1308
Summary: Mary Winchester lived the life she had worked for, and she had firmly believed that her husband and children felt the same. Everything had been perfect; Dean would take over the shop, Sam would go to college. She never expected things to change.





	Throwing Away The Baggage

Mary Winchester lived the life she had worked for, and she had firmly believed that her husband and children felt the same. Everything had been perfect; Dean would take over the shop, Sam would go to college.

She and her husband had been prepared for certain problems that would and must arise during puberty, and yes, Dean had acted up a little. When he’d begged to be allowed to see that awful boy Fergus Crowley, he’d almost cried; but she’d explained that his father only wanted what was best for him and he had seen sense.

At least that was what she had believed at the time.

Until Dean casually handed them his acceptance letter to Harvard on his graduation day and disappeared with both Fergus Crowley, still his best friend, and Castiel Novak, his... boyfriend.

John stood there and stared after the Impala long after it had passed out of sight.

“Well” Bobby said, walking up to him and clapping his shoulder, “You raised a good boy, John.”

“I – he – “

Her husband stopped talking. She took his hand.

“Mom, Dad, can I go see my friends?” Sam asked.

She could only nod.

It might be for the best.

They needed to talk.

“What happened back there, Mary?” he demanded as soon as they had made it home.

“I don’t know” she said slowly. “But Dean has a scholarship to Harvard. That’s... good”.

“Good? We both know what this boy is capable of! He’s not exactly the smartest!”

She found herself growing rather angry at John.

“If he is clever enough to get into Harvard in the first place, I’d say he is smart enough” she replied sharply.

“Of course I didn’t mean to say he was stupid” John said, “but what does he expect? Here, he would have the security he needs...”

“Maybe he doesn’t want security”.

“And what is that about him being gay all of a sudden?”

“It’s not gay if you like both girls and boys” she said, remembering having read a few articles during Pride Week or whatever they called it, “it’s bisexual”.

“Alright, fine, so he’s bisexual. Still doesn’t explain why he just doesn’t find himself a nice girl instead of that weird angel guy”.

“I always thought Castiel was pleasant to be around. He’s very polite. A little quiet, perhaps...”

“Exactly! Can you imagine Dean ever hanging around with anyone who’s quiet?”

No. But that, on the other hand, explained his friendship with...

“And then that Crowley!” John exclaimed; they must have followed the same thought process, “What the hell is he thinking? That boy’s trouble”.

She found herself in the strange position of defending someone she’d always been rather careful to avoid mentioning.

“You heard Bobby; he isn’t that bad. The Singers are good people, they wouldn’t just let anyone into their house”.

This proved the most beneficial argument for both of them; for, whether they agreed with them or not on this particular issue, neither of them could deny that Bobby and Karen Singer were in fact decent people.

Time passed. Sam talked to his brother on Skype and happily told them all about how much fun he was having, and John said nothing.

By the time Dean returned from his road trip, they had decided to give this whole “thing” a chance.

John still made it certain Dean knew he wouldn’t let Fergus Crowley in his house, or any displays of affections between him and Cas, since Sam was still too young for “that sort of thing”.

Sam immediately complained that he’d watched them kiss often enough while Dean just shrugged.

And that was how Mary learned how indifferent her son had become to both her and his father.

He wasn’t allowed to have his boyfriend visit him in the house? He just left in the morning and didn’t come back until late at night, often accompanied by Sam.

His best friend wasn’t supposed to drop by? He’d just call out “Going to the Singers” after getting a text and disappearing.

John tried to explain why he would much rather see him take over the shop? He’d listen, but only shake his head at the end.

He never even asked her for pie anymore.

So one day, she decided to bake a pecan pie and offer him to talk.

“Dean” she called out when he came down one afternoon, probably on the phone with his friends again, “Would you come into the kitchen please?”

“Hey Mom, I was just – is that pecan pie? Awesome!”

As she gave him a piece, she couldn’t help the thrill of pride she always felt when she knew her children to be happy.

“What’s up? You wanna talk about Cas and Crowley again?”

She bit her lip. Then, she slowly said, “I’d like to understand”.

“Understand what?”

“I just... I always thought you wanted to take over the garage one day”.

“You thought it would be a good thing if I wanted it, so you decided it was true”.

He wasn’t angry, he wasn’t sad. He was just stating a fact.

And she couldn’t even deny it.

“It’s just... Dean, Harvard... It’s different from here. From everything you know”.

“That it is”.

“And... what if you... what if it doesn’t turn out the way you think?”

“Then I’ll do something else”.

The optimism of youth. She’d known it too, once upon a time.

“Yes, but Dean... We’re just worried”.

He’d finished his slice and stood up.

“I get that, Mom. I really do”.

And then, just for a second, he sounded like a little boy again as he added, “I only wish you could be a little proud of me, too”.

She didn’t know what to say.

All too soon, Dean was off to college, of course with Cas and Crowley in the Impala, and silence descended upon their home.

Sam was out so often, doing extracurricular activities, meeting his friends; and when he wasn’t, he spent a lot of time in his room, talking to Dean.

He called them too. Someone like Dean would never disregard his duty when it came to his parents. But he rarely talked about things that mattered, she soon noticed. For example, she had no idea if he liked his classes or not.

The same could be said about his visits during the holidays. She made an effort to show that she welcomed his boyfriend into the family, even though John was still reluctant to see them as anything but a phase Dean would and should grow out of. 

At least they finally decided that it was no use to try and keep him away from Crowley any longer, and had him over for dinner, too.

Mary had to admit that she was surprised. He wasn’t at all as bad as she had imagined; a little unorthodox, as Bobby had said, but all in all very polite and obviously fond of Dean, Cas, and even Sam.

Granted, it was a little disconcerting that she was rather certain he would kill for any of them if need be, but on the other hand, it meant Dean had someone else looking out for him at Harvard.

Eventually, soon after Spring Break, she decided she needed to see her boy, the life he was building up.

John wasn’t surprised, but shook his head.

“Why do you wanna buy a plane ticket? He’ll come home for the holidays anyway”.

“I need to see him” she insisted.

And that was that.

Sam couldn’t come with her because he had school, of course, but he was the one to hand her a “care package” for Dean including several comics that had come out since he’d left.

She hadn’t flown much in her forty-three years on this earth, but it was worth it to see her boy.

She’d meant to surprise him, but hadn’t taken into account that Dean had a life of his own now.

Crowley opened the door.

“Mrs. Winchester?”

“Hello, Crowley”.

She’d learned during the Christmas Break that he hated his first name.

“Is Dean here?”

“He and Cas are at work, but come in”.

She entered the apartment Dean had told her about.

How strange, to be a visitor in her son’s home.

“Coffee? Water?”

“Coffee please”.

As he returned to the living room and handed her the cup, she said, “This is a nice place”.

“Sometimes it pays to have a mother who would rather throw money at me than celebrate my birthday. Literally”.

He’d mentioned Rowena a few times, always like this, and over time, she’d come to pity him. She might have misunderstood her son for years, but she still loved him.

“You have Bobby and Karen though” she said.

He nodded, smiling.

“I have a lot to thank Dean for. I wouldn’t have met them if it weren’t for him.”

Crowley’s blunt honesty had made her and John uncomfortable more than once.

“Do you enjoy your classes?” she asked.

“You know, Dean said you did that” he replied calmly.

“Did what?”

“Change the subject if you don’t like it”.

Did she? Did they? Was that one of the reasons Dean had grown so silent about the things that actually interested him?

“When did you and Dean meet?” she asked, deciding that yes, she might actually talk just as bluntly as her son’s best friend for once.

“We were thirteen. He was this kid who acted like a typical jock, but I soon realized he wasn’t, so I sought him out”.

It sounded a bit like the beginning of a thriller, but here they were, six years later, still friends.

“He was the only friend I ever made until Cas came along”.

That... was just sad. Yes, Dean was closest to Crowley and Cas, but she could name several friends of his. Aaron Bass, that nice boy who was going to become a rabbi, had shown up over Christmas.

“I’m glad you found each other, then. You mean a lot to him”.

Crowley didn’t meet her eyes.

“I hope so” he muttered. “I’ll need someone to help me run for president someday”.

She wasn’t sure if he was joking or not.

“How are you all doing? Truly?”

He perked up at that.

What followed was a lengthy description of their schedules that told Mary one thing. Every single one of those three boys was happy with the life he had chosen.

And hadn’t that always been what was most important to her? That her sons be happy?

So, when the door opened and Dean and Cas came in, holding hands, their cheeks red, their hair untidy, she looked at Dean, really, truly looked at him, and saw something she’d never seen before.

He and Cas... they were what she and John had once been.

“Mom?” he asked, shooting Crowley a concerned look.

“I wanted to surprise you” she admitted, “I should have thought about it a bit more, I’d say. But I wanted to visit”.

He grinned and hugged her. She held him tightly.

She hadn’t lost him. She had come close, but she hadn’t lost him.

“Crowley has been a very charming host”.

“I bet he has.”

“Aw, Squirrel, the things you don’t know about me” he said, standing up, grabbing Mary’s hand and lifting it to his mouth while bowing down, albeit not kissing it.

Even as Dean’s old mother, she had to admit that she was blushing.

“Dude. I cannot believe I have to say this. Don’t flirt with my mother”.

“I have to watch you two lovebirds often enough, it’s time I had a little fun”.

The three days of her visit passed much too fast.

“And?” John asked when she returned.

“Are you confident that Dean can keep himself alive now?”

“Oh” she said, “I am perfectly sure he, Cas and Crowley could destroy the world if they wanted, but thankfully they are on the side of good”.

As an answer she only got a baffled expression.

“What I mean to say is, John” she said softly, “I learned that not everything is black and white. And sometimes, you have to let your children decide for themselves.”


End file.
